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Timing belt off, timing marks not lined up

donkeylips

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
552
Location
Rochester, NY
I bought an engine years ago and it sat in a corner until now. The cam gear timing marks are lined up with dowel pins up. The crankshaft notch is pointing at 12 0'clock instead of 2:30. I don't want to take the head off.

So the pistons are all about in the center. If I turn it clockwise pistons #1 and #4 will come up.

With all of the timing marks lined up, cylinder 1 is at TDC. So it is going from its compression stroke to its power stroke. All of the valves should be closed.

Cylinder #4 is going from its exhaust stroke to its intake stroke. Shouldn't all of the valves be closed as the exhaust valves have just closed and the intake valves are about to open?

I would think that it would be safe to rotate the crank clockwise to get pistons #1 and #4 to the top. But when I try to rotate it it stops. It seems as though the only thing that could be stopping it would be that I'm hitting the valves. How to proceed?
 

fuel

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
2,165
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
point the crankshaft notch back to 12 o'clock so the pistons aren't at TDC, put a pin in the auto-tensioner body locking the pushrod in, then loosen the timing belt tensioner and timing belt. Move crank and oil pump (if balance shafts still fitted) to their respective marks and move cams back to dowels pointing to 12 o'clock and timing marks lined up and refit timing belt. Then see if you can rotate the motor.
 

donkeylips

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
552
Location
Rochester, NY
The timing belt is not on at all. The balance shafts have been removed. The cams are lined up with the dowel pins pointed up. But the crank won't turn from 12 o'clock to where it needs to go. Something is stopping it somewhere in between.
 

fuel

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
2,165
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
it will be because some valves are open still. Retard the cams until you can turn the crank.
 

DynastyLCD

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2006
Messages
761
Location
Harwinton, CT
silly question, but did you put that tin behind the crank pulley on backwards perhaps?

wouldn't hurt to check the half moon piece that's inside the crank too. i've seen a few round out lately. in the past month or so, 4 out of 5 cranks i looked at trying to buy and/or salvage had issues... two of them were opened up meaning the timing belt wasn't quite true. crank is ruined at that point as the half moon won't sit snug in the groove anymore.
 

donkeylips

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
552
Location
Rochester, NY
You know, I might just be an idiot - there's a chance that I left some flywheel bolts in and they're just hitting the engine stand when I try to turn the crank. I'm out of town, I'm going to have my brother check for me. Hopefully that's it.
 

donkeylips

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
552
Location
Rochester, NY
Yeah it looks like that's what it was - oops!
 
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